Much has been made of Indian industrial giant Tata's "$2500 car," dubbed the Nano. But the truth is that while many Americans might be fascinated with the idea of paying a mere two-and-a-half-large for a brand-new automobile, the Nano would barely qualify as a modern car in the minds of most. With essentially no amenities (let alone emissions or safety equipment) to speak of, and with power for this 5-door 4-seater coming from a 30-horsepower, 2-cylinder engine, some Americans have more tech and power in their riding mowers than in this bad boy.

But according to Tata, the new Nano Europa unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show is not merely a concept but a full-fledged production model ready for prime time in the continent's auto market. Thus it meets all of the European safety regulations in crash worthiness, and includes features such as front passenger airbags, stability control and ABS.

Power will come from a 3-cylinder, all-aluminum engine (displacement not given) mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. The company says this powertrain will be a "class-leader" in both high fuel-efficiency and low CO2 emissions.

Perhaps with a few tweaks to upgrade the crashworthiness and emissions, it would not be inconceivable to see this car make its way across the Atlantic to the U.S. in a few years.